Monthly archive 01/2011

Well, more like a few sentences actually, see the video below and if you like what you see be sure to visit the project here

So if you want to help or if you haven’t seen the trailer for the film yet, or you want more information it is here on indiegogo where you can also be a part of the film, contribute and get some great perks in return.

Enjoy your swimming and life in general!

In the second week of January the thaw really began to take hold and water levels rose to incredible levels giving the feeling that it was April and spring had already arrived. All week the rivers swelled as the snow melted and the swimming event itself was in the balance but finally the decision was made on Friday to swim. Everyone was relieved especially as it was the 40th anniversary and a special celebration had been prepared by the organising club Metuje Tygri Nachod.

In yet another example of nature and changing weather this event has seen completely different conditions in each of the last three years. In 2009 the river was completely frozen and the contest took place in a pool cut from the ice, last year saw cold temperatures, a little ice and a very slow current. However this year the river Metuje looked completely differnt and was verging on white water. The water level was measured at something like 450 cubic metres per second, though this was some hours before the start and it was undoubtedly faster at the off. Perhaps a more practical explanation is that 102 metres per minute was the speed a stick was travelling at. Putting this into context 40 metres per minute is generally considered very fast for swimming in a river!

The usually sedate Metuje resembled a fierce mountain stream but this didn't deter 56 winter swimmers from braving the 750m race. The water temperature was 3.8c but with such a toboggan ride in store for once this aspect of conditions paled into insignificance compared with making it out of the water before finding oneself in the Baltic sea! Sensibly there was no mass start but swimmers set off in pairs 2 at intervals of 30 seconds. The fastest two according to ratings were Milan Stencl and Denisa Haltmarova, both of PK Zabreh and they set off first. However they could only manage fifth and ninth place respectively as the extreme conditions caused an upset. There was a tie for first place between channel swimmer Petr Mihola of Fides Brno and Jaromir Svestka of university Olomouc, the pair taking just 4m30s to cover the 750m. just 2 seconds back and another tie for third place between Michael Moravec of Lokomotiv Brno and Vlastimil Zaoral (senior) of Spartak Prerov. All participants managed to negotiate the course safely and in under 6 mintes. Safety was well taken care of and the organisation in general was antastic including the celebration aftrewards which carried on into the early hours and included a visit to the local brewery, a magician and a disco. Winter swimming might be tough at times but you have to be able to let your hair down at times. If you can survive such extreme swimming then an all night party once in a while should be childs play. Meanwhile our campaign has less than a week to run so come and join us here or read the post below this one for more information on how you can become involved.

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Readers of this blog we need your help. There are just 12 days left until the end of our fundraising campaign which you can find here. If you enjoy reading this blog I am sure you will enjoy the film when it is finished. You can even have your name in the credits !

 That is the key thing that we are not just asking for your cash but we are giving something in return. See below for examples of what you can get for a relativley small cash contribution:

$10 = Your name in the credits & a digital copy of the film.

$25 = Your name in the credits & a limited edition DVD copy of the film.

Come and help us, click here to get an exclusive DVD of the film and your name in the credits and invite your friends. Enjoy this blog and more importantly winter swimming.

The 16th round of the 2010/11 Czech cup for winter swimming was held at Pardubice in the Eastern Bohemia region. Last year the same event was accompanied by 30cm of snow providing a glorious setting. This year the air temperature had got up to around 5c and the big thaw had just started after one month of frost, ice and snow. As the participants in the 750m walked over a bridge on the way to the start one onlooker was heard to remark “oh, its warm.” An amusing comment, yes it is much warmer than it has been but with the water 2c warmth would seem a long way away for a winter swimmer once immersed in the Elbe River on this dreary January Saturday.

Actually not much to report about the swimming itself, it was enjoyed by 57 swimmers and although part of the Czech Cup it was without timing and therefore worth few points. The Elbe flowed quickly and the quickest finished the 750m in around 8 minutes and even the slowest took just 13 minutes.

Interestingly the youngest swimmer was 8 year old Vojislav Sterba. He was accompanied by his sister Lenka Sterbova who defeated the English Channel last year aged just 16 and their father Michael Sterba, the hugely successful long distance swimming trainer. Pardubice has been linked with long distance swimming since Jan Novak became the second Czechoslovak to swim across the English channel in 1971. Lida Jelinkova followed in the 1980′s and now we have the Sterba’s. Ironically, Pardubice has just lost a public swimming pool. Even for the toughest open water swimmers a pool is a neccessity if you are competing internationally and aiming for the olympics.

Back  to the winter swimming and next week sees a big event at Nachod as it is also the 40th running of their contest and a celebration is planned.  Regarding the swimming and nature will have a big say here as if there is too much water the contest will be downstream making it considerably easier and certainly not the most difficult race of the season as it has been in past years. Some cold water swimmers will say, “thank god for that”, others will mutter “bring on the frost, snow and ice” but perhaps it is better to simply shrug the shoulders, marvel at the beauty and unpredictability of nature and say “what will be, will be.”

Don’t forget to follow the progress of our winter swimming film here

Central Europe has experienced a mixed summer and autumn followed by an Indian summer, albeit a brief one in mid Novemeber and then the sudden onset of winter on the last day of November. Advent and the month of December was completely frozen with large amounts of snow, heavy frosts and temperatures continually below -5c even in the cities and some areas reacing a low of -25c. Fans of winter sports were happy and once again cross country skiing was possible even in the concrete jungle of city housing estates.

The effect of this on the winter swimming season has been varied. In early December the much looked forward to contest in Plzen was cancelled. Ice was the cause, there was no safe way of cutting a large enough pool from the thin ice. If it had been thicker then work would have been easier. Ice again caused a huge (but totally different) problem at the end of December as the Shengen swim from Austria to the Czech Republic was cancelled. Watch the excellent video4net s.r.o. film below, the reason behind the ice problem and the cancellation is very well explained by the organiser Milan Vojta. Cold water swimming was possible of course throughout December in a variety of places and two rounds of the 2010/11 Czech cup for winter swimming went ahead in Chocen and Prague with excellent winter conditions and icy water.

Now mid January approaches and ussually this would mean heavy frosts and the possibilty of the previously mentioned -25c. However, after a harsh December, January has warmed up and incredibly temperatures could hit a high of 10c this weekend. In 10 days there has been an increase of between 8c and 15c which has led to a thaw and the inevitable problems of  high water levels and the possibility of floods. River swimming has in the last week become akin to riding a toboggan or white water rafting as rivers flow ever more speedily under the weight of so much excess water. In some places Ice has still caused  problems (again different!) with large chunks breaking, flowing downstream and then joining together to form natural dams in rivers causing flooding. The power of nature is stronger than anything  and water is an example of this. When water freezes it obviously takes on  completely different properties and can cause a myriad of problems  with more to follow during and after the thaw. Winter has surely just taken a break and no doubt will be back before the end of January so we may be able to experience this rollercoaster ride again in the current season.

The film below was made by video4net s.r.o. You can also follow our film project here.

The 64th annual running of the Alfred Nikodem Memorial took place in the Vltava river on the 26th of December 2010 overlooked by such famous landmarks as Charles Bridge, The National Theatre and of course Prague Castle. For this reason, the time of year and the large media interest this is the biggest and most anticipated event of the winter swimming season in the Czech Republic. With the swimmers starting from the Slavsky Ostrov (Slavonic Island) and the main race being twice round a 375m circuit it made for a thrilling spectacle for the crowds who packed the bridges and banks to watch. The air was 6c below zero and the water 2.4c above. If it was thrilling to watch well it was certainly more so to take part as the strong speed of the current round a tight track made for a tricky swim. Indeed 6 swimmers failed to finish the 750m. Milan Stencl of PK zabreh did finish and took first place in a time of 9m 37s. Vaclav Mihola of Fides Brno was back in second for the second year running and he held off another member of PK Zabreh as none other than the 17 year old Denisa Haltmarova claimed third place from Vlastimil Zaoral of Spartak Prerov and another Mihola, Petr, the father of Vaclav and conqueror of the English channel. However, all 28 finishers deserve some recognition given the difficult nature of the course and conditions. In total 189 swimmers took part in the event as there were 100m and a 300m exhibition  swims after the main race over 750m.

More young people than ever participated including Lenka Sterbova of Pardubice who swam  the English channel last year in an incredibly quick time of 9h22m. 16 of the 189 swimmers were under the age of 20 showing how winter swimming following in the footsteps of standard open water swimming is gaining in popularity and with it credibilty. The prescense of  high class, young swimmers is a real feather in the cap of this exciting sport.

Don’t forget to follow the progress of our winter swimming film here

Jakub and the team from video4net s.r.o. have been hard at work and have just finished this superb piece of  video reprtage about one of the early season contests a few months ago. I hope you enjoy it and as you can see there are plenty of young people involved and they really enjoy the sport and the experience of swimming in cold water.

Also please can I remind you that we are still in need of your support for our documentary film and some great perks are available, see here for more details